I want to find out the impact of music on recreational life for the Bai people. For example, what is music's role in recreational life? I also want to talk to different people of different age. That would be interesting because... more

A case study of the life of a Xizhou eighth grader is a topic I am interested in because I never had a chance to live my life in a different perspective. I really want to experience a life different than the “bubble” I live in. ... more

After some thought, I decided to focus on a fusion of end of life rituals and music, in other words, Xizhou Funeral Music. This gives me a chance to learn about a topic that I am quite fascinated... more

I have now narrowed down my inquiry project to the impact of the Flying Tigers on the village. I have chosen the Flying Tigers because I feel that this inquiry project has the best connection with me and i feel like I can expand... more

Being a lover for taking risks and a person motivated to stay eco-friendly, my top inquiry project choice was green energy in rural China. Currently I am in the GIN (Global Issues Network) exploratory and in the stage of... more

I would love to investigate the meaning of the big character propaganda and what it meant to the people of Xizhou during that time, as well as what it means to them now. I also would love to find someone who was around and... more

For my inquiry project, I chose to investigate local recreation/hobbies. I want to learn many kinds of activities from them and bring it back to school so we could play it ourselves, instead of playing the same old soccer game... more

What is an Inquiry Project?

All Microcampus students spend a significant amount of time each week devoted to investigating a topic of high personal interest that relates to the Xizhou area. Students actively seek and depend upon the wisdom of the people living in and around Xizhou to support their active investigation into their chosen area of interest.

During their exploration of one of the wide range of possible topics, students will be supported by a framework for inquiry that features the following four main phases:

1) Posing Real Questions

2) Finding Resources

3) Interpreting Information

4) Reporting Findings

The process is designed to be cyclical in nature, however, and will involve plenty of reflection, questioning, and reframing their research as new information is found. All student work will be made public during the research process online; it is hoped that readers will provide feedback to students during the research process and follow along as the students report their learning.

I enjoyed Microcampus greatly and it was an amazing experience for me. I learned a lot while in Xizhou. The food is amazing, and everyone there is very nice. My Inquiry Project was about recreation/hobbies and how they have changed with each new generation.

Hi! My name is Vanessa and I am 13 years old. I was a part of the winter 2013 microcampus trip. I was born in Nagoya, Japan on March 28th 2000, and I moved to China in 2006. This is my 7th year in Shanghai, and 3rd year in SAS Puxi. I was extremely excited to be in the microcampus trip! I felt... more

Hi, my name is Kevin C and I was in Xizhou in November and December 2013. It was an amazing experience for me and my friends, and it really changed the way I see the world. Microcampus is an amazing program that helped me learn more about myself. I really enjoyed microcampus and I hope that the... more

Hey, my name is Nicole and I am currently 13 years old. I was born in San Francisco, California and my parents are from Taiwan. Throughout my life I have moved 5 times so I am a pretty social butterfly. Leadership and taking risks are things that I feel confident at. Photography, dance, and... more

Hi! My name is Vincent, and this year I am 13 years old. I was born in Canada. I go to school In Shanghai American School's 8th grade. I lived YangZhuoRan, and I already finished investigating my inquiry project, which is about local foods and cuisine in XiZhou. I enjoyed my stay at the... more

Hi I'm Amy and I'm 13. I am from Hong Kong and I have lived in three different places. I am really enjoyed my time in XiZhou because I love to travel and I have never had the chance to actually communicate and live the life that most people in China do. I took away a lot of things from... more

Hi, I am Michael and I am 13 years old. I am from Los Angeles, USA and so far I have lived in two different places (L.A. and Shanghai). I found out about Microcampus when Mr. Tafel introduced it in 6th grade. When my older sibling came back and told me how amazing the trip was, I decided that I... more

I was there... A place where there was orange soil, fresh air, white clouds and red sunsets. A place where there was green grass and blue skies. Also a place without pollution. I am a 13 year old girl who is now in Shanghai. I was born in a very polluted city; but in a very short period of my life... more

Hi 你好 my name is Jacob. I was born in Taipei Taiwan. I am a American and Canadian citizen. I lived in Taiwan for 11 and a half years. I then moved to the US for 2 and now I live in Shanghai. So I am a 3rd culture kid! I love airports and traveling around the world. Never have had a Twinkie. I had a... more

I am 13 years old and this year will be my 7th year living in Shanghai. I have lived in two countries: U.S.A and China. Even though I have lived in China for a long time, I haven't traveled to many cities here. I am interested to see how different our lives are from the people's lives in... more

I am half Japanese, half American, and I was born in Australia. I lived in Tokyo for most of my life, and then I moved to Shanghai in the summer of 2012. I've been working on my Chinese skills in hopes of being fluent in the language. After going to microcampus, I think that my confidence and... more

Hi, my name is Thomas C. and I am now in Xizhou. The sky is so blue and the food is great. When it is night, the sky is so clear that the stars are visible. I am looking forward to meeting local people, and hopefully be able toe make friends with them.

I used to be a little girl who lived in a little city, which I wouldn't even really count as a city. Then, everything changed when I moved to Shanghai when I was 11. Something that really changed is that I enjoyed the fresh, clean air in Xizhou for a month, rather than the dirty, polluted... more

Hi! I'm Julia, I am 14 years old, I was born in the United States and have lived in Shanghai for 4 years. I love traveling, photography, music, and running. I have been swimming for 7 years and it is my favourite sport and my passion. Leaderships is one of my main character strengths.... more

I am fourteen years old and I was born in Mountain View, California but have since then moved to Shanghai in fourth grade. Xizhou was an awesome place to discover more about myself and the "real" China. I still miss the clean air, delicious food, and friendly people of Xizhou. All active... more